Wednesday May 2nd, 2012 @ 8:36 AM

For a while I’ve been wanting to get my cheeks pierced and I’ve done some research about it. But I still dont know which type I should get. Is getting microdermals better to get on the cheeks or should I just get them pierced all the way through?Im really thinking I should get the microdermals because I read it heals quicker but im still not sure.

Hey This is a tricky one. I have had cheek piercings for a few years now, and for the first 18 months they were yuck, lumpy, weepy, red and gross. Nothing I did would help (and I tried everything!).

I have heard so many piercers opinions on cheeks saying it has to do with gauge,material,diet the way they are pierced. Mine were pierced well by a good friend who I still admire his skills to this day, he also has cheeks, same gauge, same problems. I have done plenty of cheeks and it would be fair to say 50% my clients have healed them (not always an easy healing road) and I have also done plenty on cheek anchors and I would say 85-90% have had no issues

The scarring comparison is a lot as well, cheek piercings once well healed (well healed as in a year or so old) leave massive indents (which will slowly become not as deep over time but never disappear). They are not “cute” dimples, the “cute” dimples are normally from people giving up on the healing or only keeping them for a short period of time. An anchor leaves a tiny usually flat scar which will fade with time.

I know I have gone on about this topic but only because I have experienced cheeks and I have the craters but I love them, they are my favorite piercing! You just have to have the time to heal these bad boys, if your not sure about the cons then go with anchors to test your commitment - at least you can always get them pierced later.

Tuesday May 1st, 2012 @ 7:40 PM

Okay so I got my monroe pierced 5 days ago. It’s looking pretty good except that it’s still red around it. I do not think it’s infected because there is no puss coming out of it or anything and the inside looks totally fine. I emailed my piercer and he said this is totally normal. But, I’m getting paranoid! Almost every person I see says “That’s infected!” I’m really getting tired of hearing it. I know that they pierce with a long piece of jewelry and I do get it caught on my gums sometimes. Will the redness go away once I can switch to a shorter post and don’t get it caught on my gums anymore? I’m doing my SSS 2 times a day. Help please!

Everything you have told me sounds perfectly normal. Your piercer
was correct. Redness is nothing more than a sign that something is
healing. 5 days is still very early in the healing process. Keep doing
your SSS and make sure to follow all the aftercare instructions your
piercer gave you. I would expect the redness to disappear long before
you change to a shorter post but downsizing will definantly prevent it
from getting caught on your gums as much.

Tuesday May 1st, 2012 @ 4:29 AM

I just got my lip pierced, and I specifically told the piercer to take his time to make sure that the piercing was done as well as possible… my mouth is small and he pierced it as low as he could in the center of my bottom lip so as not to bother my gums or my teeth. The problem is, the back post is still hitting my teeth, especially when I talk. I’m really worried. Is this a permanent problem or will it clear up when I’m able to put in a shorter post? Please answer ASAP…

Every piercer has their own opinion as to the ‘correct’ placement to avoid gum erorsion and discomfort. I personally never do them super low as its more uncomfortable for them to rub against the bottom of your gums than the top.

It’s totally normal for this to happen when you have your initial (longer) bar in, as soon as you downsize it to a shorter one it should be much more comfortable. You can even (if you go to a piercer with internal thread jewellery) get a smaller back plate put on to help it even more.

Tuesday May 1st, 2012 @ 4:04 AM

Okay so I pierced my smiley/upper lip frenulum/scrumper whatever the heck you wanna call it because I’m training to be a piercist and I figured if I couldn’t pierce myself then why should anyone trust me, blah blah blah, anyway, everything was autoclaved, and I’ve got the normal white stuff around the piercing holes (the oral version of crusties). i’m doing the normal sea salt rinses twice a day and alcohol mouthwash, so touch wood everything is healing fine. the thing is i want to know how long, after the 2 months healing period, my smiley piercing would last before closing up as I have a dentists appointment and would like to take it out for personal reasons. it’s just a normal check up, should last anywhere from 10-20 minutes but yeah. how long do you think it will last if I take it out or do you think i’ll have to re-pierce. thanks

Before we chat about how long it will take to close up, make sure you use ALCOHOL-FREE mouth rinse, or alternatively normal saline solution (salt water). This will ensure you don’t burn the piercing and create problems for healing.

Now as far as closing up goes, after 2-3 months you will be able to leave it out for a good hour before it actually starts to close up too much. If it is fully healed, you have a small fistula (a tunnel of tissue) to stop it from ‘closing’ - they will however shrink up quickly in soft tissue. You may find its a lil snug to put back in or you might want to put a thinner gauge in (only for a day or two MAX) and then put your normal one back in super easy.

Sunday April 29th, 2012 @ 11:26 PM

So I went to a new piercer and got angel bites and my bridge done, all have messed up. I have 24 piercings most done by one piercer and the rest are fine. My angel bites have a swollen lump around them on the inside of my mouth and the bridge has a lump thing next to the balls. I want to take them out and let them heal and go back to my old piercer but I’m worried it’s an infection and will heal inside my lip/bridge. What do I do?

Infections are a VERY rare thing with piercings, especially oral ones (if simple aftercare is taken). Your lip does not look infected, so there is no need to stress out. What it does appear to be doing is building up a form of scar tissue called hypertropic scar. It’s very common in areas that have a high amount of movement, however are more common in oral piercings from playing with them or being pierced on funny angles.

My suggestion would be to go back to your true and trusted piercer and get them to have a peep at them before you take them out. It could be as simple as changing the jewellery over, adjusting your aftercare or even just not playing with them.

If your bridge has ‘pimple like’ bumps next to it, it is also very common. Placement has less of a factor with bridges (however more of an aesthetic presence), however correct jewellery gauge and size have a huge play in how well or poorly they heal. If you are finding that you are bumping it in your sleep, playing with it, using an aggresive after care solution (anything but saline, really) or find the bar is a little snug - this can be the cause of it.

Sunday April 29th, 2012 @ 11:26 PM

I have a question about my single cheek piercing that I did a day ago. I recently got a pack of brand new professional piercing needles. So I decided to FINALLY do my cheeks! Everything was sanitized and this was the fifth time I’ve done my cheeks (first time with a hollow needle)so I knew what I was in for. I pierced it in what seemed like the perfect spot. But then it started acting really weird. The pictures are from directly after I pierced it. Ever since, it has been swollen a lot and quite painful to press down on. I realize it should be swollen but something just doesnt seem right about it. I’m not too certain about the anatomy of the cheek and what I wanted to ask is: does this look like the right placement for a cheek piercing? Did I go through some muscle I wasn’t supposed to? It doesn’t seem like it will heal at all..

Thank you!,

Amy

Cheeks are quite often a tricky one to do just right, there is a ’sweet spot’ in your cheek tissue where it is best to be placed. If you pinch the back of your cheek (one finger inside your mouth, one outside) and slowly slide forwards (towards your lips) you will feel a much thinner spot. Personally I always place cheek piercings there as they seem to heal much faster and have less issues with movement.

It’s impossible to tell from just from a picture, but it looks okay - if anything maybe slightly towards the back of your sweet spot. Keeping in mind that nobody has the same tissue on both sides and they can be done outside of this sweet spot.

The discomfort you are talking about is normal with a piercing like the cheek, which passes through quite a lot of mucus membrane tissue and can last at least a couple weeks.

Make sure that your bar is long enough too, as the pain you are talking about can occur when it digs in too. I would say to ice that lil puppy up and follow the correct aftercare. If it keeps hurting, maybe go into your local piercer and get them to make sure the bar is long enough for swelling and is angled correctly on the inside.

Sunday April 29th, 2012 @ 4:36 PM

I’ve been considering getting my lip pierced for a long time. As in, an 8 year long time. I’ve been committed to the idea but for whatever reason extremely particular of some personal meaning behind what I’m doing. I had my heart set on doing this in NYC and will be around the area for my 21st birthday. I found a shop I was extremely comfortable with (and was suggested by local friends). The past few times I was in the area didn’t end up with the time to get it done without being in a rush. As I began plotting it out mentally, I considered perhaps alcohol wouldn’t be the best thing for it; Alcohol obviously being a staple of turning 21. When I Googled, most piercing shops claimed to ‘avoid’ alcohol if possible with oral piercings. Some other posts claimed beer shouldn’t be drank for weeks due to the yeast (something I honestly wouldn’t have even considered). Others claimed they drank with no issues. I could definitely stay away from beer or a specific drink if it was more damaging, but I know I’ll be drinking. I’m also torn between a vertical labret and snakebites with the smallest gauge jewelry possible (hoping for a 16g to match other piercings). I’ve never had an oral piercing, though with other piercings healing, my drinking habits never changed and I didn’t have any ill effects. So, I’m wondering what you would suggest with alcohol and either a vertical labret or snakebites (indefinitely a symmetrical lip piercing(s) of some time), if there’s been any personal experience, and, if I am hardheaded enough to drink anyway (likely) what could occur? While I’ve never gotten sick of any of my piercings to date, I do want the comfort I could take this out one day without or with minimal scarring - something the shop I called claimed they particularly took care in. I likely would wait if there were major dilemmas with having a few drinks, but turning 21 feels like enough of a purpose for me to get it done. Would appreciate advice. Thanks.

As with any body piercing it is unacceptable to drink before hand, not only will I not pierce someone under the influence but it is illegal in most states.

After the piercing is a different story. While I recommend that my clients do not drink after, there is no way I can follow them to the bar and prevent it. So instead of condemning it with oral piercings I suggest carrying a bottle of water with you and swishing after every few drinks.

The vertical labret is probably the better choice for drinking since you could get away with using a straw and the alcohol never actually coming in contact with the piercing itself.

Sunday April 29th, 2012 @ 9:36 AM

I wanted a side labret piercing for a very long time, but I was afraid of getting gum recession. I went and searched alot about it and found out that it wouldn’t recess if the back of the piercing goes entirely on the gum, and not on the gumline. Before I actually had it pierced, I visited the shop to get information about how to avoid gum recession and if it could be pierced with out getting this problem. The man told me if it causes gum recession, the piercing is put wrong, and he would make sure it wouldn’t. so I finally go and put the piercing, and the back is exactly on my gumline, rubbing on both my teeth and gum.

what should I do? He said he would make sure it wouldn’t cause gum recession, so is the internet wrong, or he? or should I wait and see if it works with a shorter piercing?

Is it even possible to get a side labret piercing on the gum entirely?

Thanks in advance!

Firstly, its GREAT that you have done research into it first. The chance of gum recession is something that should be taken seriously, however you are totally correct - a proper placement will reduce the risk greatly.

I would suggest to go back to the piercer and explain that you aren’t happy with the placement and request that they perhaps re do it. There is a chance that you may have exactly the same problem if you get it re-pierced as i often feels like its rubbing during the swelling phase (as the jewellery will be quite long to allow for swelling). Downsizing the jewellery to the correct size once healed and even putting a smaller back plate on the inside (you need internal thread to do this) will nearly eliminate gum erosion also.

Sunday April 29th, 2012 @ 8:08 AM

Hi, I have a question about my lip piercing. It is a 3 month old, cbr piercing. (I know most piercers advise for a straight labret stud). It is healing fine on the inside, the tissue is pretty much healed(visibly). However, on the outside, there is a bump below the piercing hole. I’m not sure what it is, but I’ve been cleaning regularly with Sea Salt soaks and I brush twice a day and floss regularly. I’m guessing it’s a condition on the outside, but its been there for about 3 weeks, I could use some advice. Thanks!

Personally I never pierce lips with BCRs, I feel that they cause too much pressure and often create scar tissue (just like you have).

My suggestion would be to go back to your piercer and get a 14g barbell in there (I normally use 10-11mm ones for healing) and once your healed, go back to the ring.

Sunday April 29th, 2012 @ 3:09 AM

I have been considering getting a monroe piercing, and before I get any piercing I do TONS of research on it to make sure I am fully prepared and know all the risks. Right now, I only have my nose and several ear piercings, including an industrial, rook, and tragus.

Anyways, my main question is how big of a risk is gum recession with a monroe piercing with a 16g flat back labret stud? In my research I found that proper placement and correctly sized jewelry play a big factor. I also read that bioplast jewelry and even putting a bit of dental braces wax on the back of the stud can help minimize the risk. I read in anther comment how you don’t recommend bioplast, and I definitely want to make sure I’m doing the healthiest things for my piercing. I’ll be turning 16 in a couple weeks, and still have yet to convince both parents, but I want to make sure that before I decide 100% that I know what I’m getting into. Thanks!

Firstly, its GREAT that you have done research into it first. The chance of gum recession is something that should be taken seriously, however you are totally correct - a proper placement and correct downsizing is the best thing to reduce the risk.

I personally always recommend a correctly fit (preferably titanium) over anything else. It can’t come out anywhere as easy as bioplast/ptfe/bioflex and most importantly has a flat back (not convex), which means it won’t have one single point where it will rub against your gums.

I often downsize the back disc (using internally threaded 3-piece jewellery) to a 4mm back after healing, which also drastically reduces discomfort and erosion - however isn’t that great for a fresh piercing as it can dig into your lip.